It’s MY Tree

K-Gr 2–In this slyly political French import, a frenetic squirrel feels very possessive of a beloved pine tree, declaring “I love eating MY pinecones in the shade of MY tree.” This line of thinking makes the rodent worry that though it’s possible that there are enough pinecones for everyone, “we all know where that kind of thinking leads; then the tree would be everyone’s tree, the pinecones everyone’s pinecones.” This is an astute concern, yet many children intuit it—a reluctance to share. To protect the tree, the squirrel builds increasingly larger defenses, eventually erecting an enormous wall. Yet even the wall fails to provide the sought-after security, making the squirrel wonder if beyond it hides “a whole forest of trees full of pinecones.” The last, somewhat ambiguous, double-page spread shows the nonplussed squirrel standing on top of the wall looking down at other squirrels frolicking among many pine trees. Tallec’s deceptively simple stylized illustrations delight with the comical antics of his bright orange, bushy-tailed protagonist, conveying an impressive range and depth of squirrel emotions, from pleased and alarmed to enraged and baffled.